An automatic apparatus is known from the Spanish patent No. 504417, which picks up the pantyhose article from a machine which sews two stockings making up the pantyhose article by means af an annular gripper, provided with elements radially stretchable apart, which engages the edge of the pantyhose seamless region intended to receive the gusset and, afterwards, transfers said stretched edge of the article onto the horizontal circular mouthpiece of the tubular head of a machine which applies and sews the gussets; thereafter, the article is aspirated inside the head by leaving outside a sufficient amount of fabric for the sewing of the gusset.
This, however, may give rise, especially for certain kinds of very delicate fabrics, to the formation of ladders due to the operation of the elements of said gripper, each of which exerts its action over a limited region of the fabric. In addition to this, there is the fact that said known apparatus does not allow the pantyhose articles to be loaded with their perineal region being completely closed.